Jonas

FFP is taking the fun out of transfers like VAR is out of goals. Instead of being enraged at the selling of a player its like "well we have to for FFP" and instead of being excited about signing players its "cant because of FFP".

Punditry is Jose's calling at this point. If he can be afforded. People say Souness was good so why not. Jose can do arrogant, contentious and opinionatedness but would be able to back it up with a career in management.

Ffp also not good for player welfare in a ravaged squad.

It's like double jeopardy with the same rival clubs benefitting from both states.

They've lost more games at this stage of the season than we lost under Ossie in our worst ever season and lay 23rd in the league. Obviously they've won a few more but promotion being on with that level of defeats seems a mockery.

I dunno, they turned on Di Canio pretty quickly after his first derby result. Went from fascist and boycotting to hero and tattoo's of him.

Hauled before N.O again for not beating and being second best to the best team in the world with a threadbare squad and financial limitations.

Wonder where the got the idea from to move away fans to the upper tier.?. Consequently they've ended up not really having a home end.

Ffs. I worried about whether the squad could cope on four fronts. Never imagined an injury nightmare like we've had.

1st day of 92/93, Bracewell debut goal, pic might even be of that strike. Don't think the top picture is the same game, looks nice and sunny, Southend rained all day. Interesting to know - hesitate to say Leicester 7-1 cos the new leazes would be in view. Leeds 89/90 maybe.

Love making malicious calls and wasting good people's time do makems

Was some lads up the trees in leazes park watching us once, sure it was the Peterborough game under Keegan (same season as the Southend game in that picture above) and that it was blowing a gale. Maybe being too fanciful and wondering what if?. Bet SJH was hopping mad about it.

Was at the O'Brien the first by the entrance way in the small corner and a crash barrier (probably crucially). Could barely see anything and for celebration all I could do was get one arm up and give the v's to nobody and everybody like a periscope, which is fitting cos behind the goal is like a sea for that goal, too tight to do anything but crowd serge. Controversial but I always think that's the better goal of the two. Most mental I've probably gone was Gary Speeds at home, however.

Thats what they get for performing "If I Had A Photograph of You" - mackems get very upset about photos.

Didn't like it back in the day but if it avoids trouble and in this one fixture alone then its probably the way it will stay. Partly that's due to living in Washington and an hour round-trip being made into a four hour one. Generally would preferred making my own way to away games but got back from Coventry with a police escort from the stadium at 8.30 which was cracking.

Like the sound of that.

Bring back McKeag. Used to find his little smirk and wink when seeing our number soothed the tension. Shame his ownership did the opposite but nevermind.

Drab draw but would have took anything outside of Spurs/Chelsea/Man City/Liverpool so cant complain.

He's one of those managers and they're one of those clubs where I feel like he's already been manager there. He is a nice guy though - used to beat us all over when he was at Boro and obviously his previous employees are his previous employees but never even slightly disliked him.

The 6k had to include the usual away support from previous seasons you'd think. LFEE is onto something though. Sunderland home or away as the best atmosphere of the season and the pinnacle is not something I recognise and there's been times when as away support they've just sat there or even stood, their contributions in the last terraced game at SJP was just the average. Maybe its the weird dynamic when its not really competitive, the war is won and your team dominates the game. We were losing in 2006 until well into second-half as shit as they were so its not really comparable other than both should have been (one was) 90minutes of piss taking. *They didn't come near to selling their allocation on that occasion, to my earlier point about support in this game. It was never not good away there in my experience, but my last one was 2006 and I doubt its been much different to Saturday in more recent times.

I've got the 89/90 90/91 91/92 Barclay's Directories handy just cos its easier to referece than online resources. Everyone of them has their nickname as 'the Rockerites" and its not just picking one nickname because Ipswich are town as "Town" and "the Blues" My Dad tells some yarn that the black cats thing comes from a tour of America they did decades ago and they Americanised the name to spice it up. Don't know anything about the Napoleonic reference but old pictures show they didn't have black anywhere on their old kits so it seems weird to adopt it all of a sudden late in the day but very them to tailor their kit to suit some name given to them that has no meaning whatsoever. Toon Army and Tractor Boys were self annointed but are unofficial and have some relevance to the areas/clubs.

Ideally Sheffield Wednesday at home for me. That kind of level of opponent with a bit of righting a wrong edge.

Enjoyed nuanced mackem touches like the booing of possession at the start for 90seconds until they realised it was going to require an hour of booing possession, cheering their next touch - a block from a Trippier cross that went out for a corner. cheering Miggy's miscontrol that lead seconds later to a good penalty call and the home matchly Sunderland til I Die exodus as the penalty was arranged.

Ashley aside they'd not have beaten us on Wearside! since the 70s

Is the allocation/receipts debate they're having not as a result of not filling their ground for a cup tie since the 90s thus being befuddled by the rules?